<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Altered Fates by BalletCoppelia</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24044164">Altered Fates</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BalletCoppelia/pseuds/BalletCoppelia'>BalletCoppelia</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arthur is not a good person in this fic, Gen, Kieran Lives, Low Honor Arthur Morgan, Sorry Arthur, because of my actions</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 16:28:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>752</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24044164</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BalletCoppelia/pseuds/BalletCoppelia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What does a Low Honor Arthur look like from the perspective of the gang members? What do they think of the players actions? And what if it affected some of their endings?</p>
<p>Kieran has to deal with a violent, cruel Arthur and life at the bottom of the totem pole in the Van der Linde gang. </p>
<p>This is inspired by my LH playthrough and the events within it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Branwen &amp; Kieran Duffy, Kieran Duffy &amp; Mary-Beth Gaskill, Kieran Duffy &amp; Sean MacGuire, Kieran Duffy/Mary-Beth Gaskill</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Altered Fates</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Heart beating in tempo with his horse’s hooves, Kieran desperately tried to get away from the man chasing him.</p>
<p>The snow churned as Branwen plunged through it, Kieran leaning in close to her as he urged her faster still.</p>
<p>The sharp crack of a gunshot startled the pair, Branwen sped up even more out of fright as Kieran clutched tighter to her. Wind pushed his hair in his face when he looked back at their pursuer, a large intimidating man who could only mean trouble for the reluctant O’Driscoll.</p>
<p>Another shot rang out, this time grazing Branwen’s thigh. This was too much for the hard working horse, who though loyal, was still a terrified and hurt prey animal. She skidded to a stop and reared up, dumping Kieran roughly in the snow, and raced away unencumbered.</p>
<p>Stunned, both by the fall and the shocking cold of the snow, Kieran could only watch as his beloved horse left, his heart sinking as he wondered if this would be the last he’d ever see of her.</p>
<p>As he scrambled to his feet, Kieran turned to his pursuer, who had already caught up to him and was dismounting his horse.</p>
<p>Trembling Kieran begged him not to kill him, his knowledge of how terrible people could be paralyzing him in place. The large man stalked towards him, unaffected by his pleas.</p>
<p>One solid punch sent Kieran into darkness.</p>
<p>xxxx</p>
<p>Coming to hogtied and on the back of a horse, Kieran wondered how his day could get any worse.</p>
<p>Then his captor started talking to him. In turn asking him questions and then threatening him with broken bones for continuing to talk.</p>
<p>Arriving at their destination was no reprieve. Dumped on the ground in front of a man that was clearly the leader, he was ordered tied up and starved. As he was pulled away to a run down building he still protested his hatred of Colm O’Driscoll.</p>
<p>xxxx</p>
<p>Shivering in a cold stable was almost familiar to Kieran now, seeing as he was usually in charge of the various horse related chores with the O’Driscolls, though being tied to a post for days was a new misery.</p>
<p>His heart ached for the comfort of his horse’s company, horses being the only consistently good thing in life, but with the depressing knowledge that his dear Branwen was probably dead by now, having spent several days on her own by now, Kieran was resigned to the angry company of his captors and the indifferent presence of their horses.</p>
<p>Most of the time he was guarded by a calm man named Charles who stayed quiet and left him alone, though he wasn’t the guard all day and most of the other men pestered Kieran while they were on guard duty. His original pursuer, who was apparently called Arthur, would sometimes swing by while someone else was guarding Kieran to pester and taunt him, seemingly just because it amused Arthur.</p>
<p>One memorable day they took almost all the horses out and a large group of the men left, presumably for the train robbery if Kieran had his days straight, a tough looking blonde woman guarded him then, she followed the trend of finding his misery funny and spent most of the time she was there insulting him. Eventually she was told to leave him and go help, though Kieran didn’t know what with.</p>
<p>Despite most of the horses and men being gone from camp Kieran could still hear lots of activity outside, the sounds of people talking and things being moved. The gang's draft horses were harnessed and led outside, leaving him completely alone in the frigid, decrepit stable. </p>
<p>Excited shouts from outside were the only warning he got before the door was thrown open as one of the men burst into the barn, walking over to Kieran to roughly untie him from the post, leaving his hands still tied. After threatening Kieran seemingly just because he could, the man shoved him out of the stable.</p>
<p>Briefly blinded by the bright sunlight and shining white snow after the gloom of the dark stable, Kieran’s eyes adjusted to see mounted riders and wagons packed full, which explained all the noise.</p>
<p>Thrown in the back of a wagon with some supplies right before the whole wagon train set off, Kieran watched the desolate mining town they were leaving behind, rocked by every bump and rut in the road, wondering what was going to happen to him as the wagon moved indifferently on.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Did you know you can shoot Branwen to catch Kieran? (Sorry Branwen)</p>
<p>Also I know Branwen is a boy, but I forgot to check what gender he was when I start writing it and I got attached to girl Branwen, so let's just say this is an au where Branwen's a girl.</p>
<p>In an effort to be the most low honor I can be on the mission to where you catch Kieran I got creative with catching him, and learned that if Branwen is...out of commission, Kieran doesn't try to run away he just stands there asking not to get hurt/killed. Just one punch knocks him out (pretty wimpy there) though once you're both on the horse he starts talking again, and if you take him off the horse and put him down, or kick him after punching him, he dies. (Really not a very durable boi)</p>
<p>Which got me thinking, the version of his capture my LH Arthur did must be pretty horrible for the poor guy, why not write about it!</p>
<p>You can't actually get Branwen to buck him in the game (as far as I know) but we can't have Arthur killing her off, especially since she didn't stay dead in the game, so spook it is.</p>
<p>I don't know if Charles is actually in the stables to guard Kieran, since he's in there before the mission too, but whatever, I do what I want.</p>
<p>This chapter is pretty short, but the Horseshoe Overlook chapter is much longer and it's like, 75% done? I don't know when I'll post it, but probably soonish.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>